This blog is about architecture, urbanism, neighborhoods, historic preservation and other elements of the physical environment(s) of Central New York, including Syracuse and its many surrounding towns, villages, farms and natural features.

Renovation of Babcock-Shattuck House (former Jewish War Veterans' Post) BeginsThe long awaited renovation of the once grand Babcock-Shattuck House (also known as the former Jewish War Veterans' Post), of which I have written in the past, has begun. The University Neighborhood Preservation Association (UNPA),
which purchased the property form the city last year, has signed
contracts for the exterior repair and renovation of the building to be
completed by the end of June 2013. The commencement of exterior
restoration could not have come a better time. Last month part of the
masonry of the massive front porch collapsed. The building could not
hold out much longer for repair.

The house will be transformed into a four coop apartments. I am happy to serve as a community representative on the project committee assembled by UNPA and led by Dave Michel. More than anyone, Dave has been tireless in his effort to make this work.

Tim Knauss reports (and quotes me) in the Post-Standard on some of the details of the project: SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Work is under way on a $1.2 million project to turn
a long-vacant mansion on Syracuse’s East Side from a tattered and
gloomy hulk into what neighbors hope will be a beacon of renewal at the
gateway to Westcott Street.A contractor recently started work on the exterior of the historic
Babcock-Shattuck House — also known as the Jewish War Veterans building —
which anchors the corner of East Genesee and Westcott streets.The building on the National Register of Historic Places has been
boarded up for more than two decades. Neighborhood activists fought off
attempts in the 1990s to demolish it and build a Rite Aid drug store,
but efforts to revive the Queen Anne-style house have sputtered until
now.The nonprofit University Neighborhood Preservation Association,
which acquired the property from the city last year, recently hired
contractor CNY Builder Services to start work on a $317,000 project to
restore the exterior. The outside renovation — subsidized by a $200,000
grant awarded last year through the state Office of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation — is due to be completed by June.Read the entire story here

About Me

Samuel D. GruberI am a cultural heritage consultant involved in a wide variety of
documentation, research, preservation, planning, publication, exhibition
and education projects in America and abroad.
I was trained as a medievalist, architectural historian and
archaeologist, but for 25 years my special expertise has developed in
Jewish art, architecture and historic sites. My various blogs about Jewish Art and Monuments, Central New York and Public Art and Memory allow me to
clear my email and my desk, and to report on some of my travels, by
passing on to a broader public just some of the interesting and
compelling information from projects I am working on, or am following.
Feel free to contact me for more information on any of the topics
posted, or if you have a project of your own you would like to discuss.

My Upcoming CNY Talks and Tours

Wednesday, Feb 5, 2014 1:00 pm (check for details) Syracuse Stage 820 E. Genesee Street Syracuse, NY 13210 Divided Loyalties: Jews and the Civil War In conjunction with performances of the play The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez I will discuss the involvement of Jews in the Civil War - on the North and south, and something about the often ambivalent Jewish attitude toward American slavery at the time.

Sunday, Feb 16, 2014 11:30 am Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Great Synagogues of the World Jews are the “People of Book”, but surprisingly to many, they are also “People of the Building.” Given the opportunity, Jews have built beautiful synagogues for their communities for hundreds of years. Inspired by the detailed architectural accounts in the Bible, and also by their contemporary surroundings, Jews in many places have fulfilled the concept of Hiddur Mitzvah (glorify the commandment) through architecture and architectural decoration. Great synagogues have been built in Europe of since Middle Ages, but especially since the lavish inauguration of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam in the late 17th century the stream of impressive Jewish buildings has continued with little interruption on every inhabited continent throughout the world. This lecture illustrates this architectural and artistic heritage with historic and contemporary images, and traces its survival in the 21st century with special emphasis on lesser known “great synagogues,” on recently restored buildings, and on some of the newest synagogues built.